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Bundaberg flood victims move into new accommodation

Bundaberg Mayor Mal Forman says residents left homeless by the floods in the south-east Queensland city will today move into more comfortable temporary accommodation.

Residents have been forced to stay in shelters around Bundaberg.

About 120 locals will start moving to a specially assembled village at the showgrounds today.

Councillor Forman says the village will be a much better place to stay for the coming weeks and months.

"It's very good beds, very good accommodation," he said.

"It's all air-conditioned, it has its own kitchen and dining hall to cater for up to 300 people if we need it to but no it's very good relief accommodation, short-term, transitional accommodation."

Cr Forman says the council needs to help people who have nowhere else to go.

"It is important that we do look after them or provide them with some sort of housing or accommodation because we have to go into the next transitional stage and more permanent type arrangements and it is very important to us that we take care of these people as far as we can," he said.

Meanwhile, environmentalists say building new dams or raising existing ones will not protect Queensland towns from flooding.

The State Government is considering whether to invest in new dams and infrastructure in the wake of the recent floods.

It says rivers like the Burnett, which flooded Bundaberg, could be controlled or better managed.

However, Roger Currie from the Wide Bay Environment Council says relocating homes would be a better solution.

"I think really the best position this State Government could adopt and one which we'd agree to is that they think seriously about a relocation program for Bundaberg, rather than attempting to invest billions in trying to stop the Burnett River doing what it really does," he said.